


Finding Mama

by ChaoticNeutral



Series: Miraculous: Tales of Littlebug and Chaton Noir [5]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Chat Noir doll, Chaton Noir - Freeform, Dolls AU, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-11
Updated: 2020-05-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:47:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24121588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticNeutral/pseuds/ChaoticNeutral
Summary: For Mother's Day:As a doll created by Marinette, Chaton is still learning things about the world. Fortunately, Marinette has been there to look after him and protect him.Chaton cares for Marinette a lot. He just needs a word to describe how...
Series: Miraculous: Tales of Littlebug and Chaton Noir [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1302908
Comments: 20
Kudos: 453





	Finding Mama

**Author's Note:**

> Some of you whom have read the first installments of the Dolls AU particularly around Chaton know that he didn't initially refer to Marinette as "Mama" the way he did in later installments.

* * *

Chaton liked his Creator. He liked her more than he could really explain.

She was nice and kind and cared about him lots. She made things for him to have for his very own. She talked to him and hugged him every day. She made him a little bed of his own. And the Box—which was both a blessing and curse sometimes.

She let him take naps on her. She recognized his preferences and adjusted to them, making a floor pillow in a sunny spot when he wanted to nap in a sunbeam or a place for a little blanket nest in a dark corner of his Box when he didn’t feel up for anything. She seemed to read his moods. Not perfectly, of course. It’s taking time for them to be able to communicate properly.

She couldn’t always take him with her, which made him sad, but she found ways around it. She sometimes took him to the Guardian, who would look after him. And when the Guardian wasn’t available and she had to leave Chaton in her room, she went out of her way to make sure he had things to entertain himself with when he was alone.

But he always liked it best when she was there. Even if she admonished him or didn’t let him touch something.

She was the best Creator he could ever want. And he cared about her lots, too. He was always happier when she was around.

His feelings for her felt bigger than his whole body, and he wished he could put a name to them. He wanted to, though.

But what name would fit? Was there a single word that could indicate all of his feelings? The joy of hearing her call out a greeting to him when she was returning after a long day at school? The satisfaction at seeing the pride in her eyes when he learned something new? The relief of her holding him and reassuring him of her safety after an akuma attack? The way her hands seemed to mesmerize him as he watched her work. The simple feeling of contentedness of sitting with her as she rubbed a hand across his head. The desire above all to see her happy.

What word could say all of that?

He decided to search for the words so he could share them with her. Mostly through the “enter-net” in her “compute-her” since he was still too new to go out alone and he didn’t want her to know what he was doing.

He found a lot of words.

“Thank you” and “Gratitude” for appreciation for her kindness.

“Care” and “Concern” for her wellbeing and wanting to see her healthy and happy.

“Happiness” when she was there. “Lonely” when she wasn’t.

Then there was the big one. “Love”.

Did he love his Creator?

Looking up more on the subject, he felt he did. But it was too big. Too vast. Too vague to really hit upon his feelings for her.

He learned that he could love someone. He learned he could love many people. He learned he could love in different ways.

But how?

He didn’t understand it. His only examples were from the “enter-net” and from the Creator herself.

The Creator, who loved everyone, it seemed. She loved her friends. She loved the people downstairs. She loved the pink floaty thing he had to share her with. And she certainly seemed to love the boy whose pictures she kept on her walls.

That’s a lot of love. But she was big, so it makes sense she has a lot more love in her than he did. Because right now, he only loved her, and he didn’t even know how to explain that. He couldn’t find the answer, no matter how many days he spent thinking about it.

If the Creator noticed, she didn’t pry. She simply assured him that he could talk to her if he needed anything.

Everything came to a head one particular day when he’d had enough of thinking and decided he needed to go out and actually find the answer.

He made it about as far as downstairs where the Creator and the two other people were making something that smelled good and he got distracted.

It wasn’t his fault! The cookies were so big and tasty-looking! And they smelled delicious! It was too tempting! And it was only one. It wasn’t like they would miss it, right?

He had made his way onto the counter and over to the pan where the items of ooey gooey goodness were. But he was only limitedly aware of the change in temperature the closer he got to the pan. And even less aware of what that change meant.

Not until he touched the pan and a burning pain lanced through his hand.

Without thinking, he cried out in hurt and alarm. His “voice” wasn’t like his Creator’s or the floaty thing’s or even any of the other people he had observed. It was more of a feeling, a pulse of alarm spread empathetically. So fortunately, those who lacked magic or a strong empathic ability couldn’t feel him, so he remained undetected by the big man or the small lady.

Unfortunately, both the Creator and the floating thing were nearby and fully felt his cry.

Within seconds, there was a thunder of footsteps as the Creator rushed into the room.

“Chaton!” She gasped, reaching out and taking him into her arms. She checked him for any injuries, whispering to him and questioning what happened.

He raised up his hand to her, showing the spot where he touched the hot pan.

She looked over the spot he showed her, frowning in consideration. “It’s not burned at least, and no lasting damage from what I can see. But I bet that hurt, huh?”

He nodded, gazing up at her with little tears of magic pooling in his eyes.

“No no, none of that!” She said, wiping away the magic with a piece of cloth she grabbed from nearby. “You need that magic to keep yourself sustained.”

Finding out he cried magic was….not a pleasant experience. And certainly not something he wanted to repeat. He had certainly worried Creator as she stayed by him for hours trying to replenish what he had lost.

But it hurt though!

“I know it hurts. But I’ll take you upstairs and heal your hand.” She assured him as she stuck the cloth in her pocket for safe retraction and disposal later.

It wouldn’t hurt for long then, at least. And it was already helping just to be this close to her.

“Marinette? Did something happen?” The other woman asked, entering the room.

“It’s nothing! I just…uh…” She glanced around and then down at Chaton who was now trying very hard not to move like she’d instructed him to do when someone else was around. “I just accidentally left Chaton downstairs and he ended up a little too close to the pans.”

The woman frowned at that. “You know that isn’t safe! You need to make sure to leave your projects upstairs or at the very least away from the stove. They could catch on fire!”

“I know, Mom! And I’m really sorry. I just got caught up in helping and misplaced him. So I’m going to take him upstairs right now!”

With that, Creator held Chaton carefully in her arms as she made her way upstairs. Both leaving before they could hear the woman’s questions of when the doll had gotten there as she hadn’t recalled seeing him when she had taken the pans out of the oven…

Once in the safety of her room, Creator set Chaton down on the desk where they could see each other on an even level as she checked over his hand.

“You can’t touch the stove or pans when they’re hot or this happens, Chaton. You could have been hurt worse.”

He lowered his head. He hadn’t meant to get burned. He just hadn’t known it could do that. He would bear that in mind for next time. And be more careful.

“I was really worried about you. Mom was right that it could have been worse.”

_…Mom?_

“I’m just really glad it you’re safe. I’m still new at using magic to heal, but I can fix this up at least.” She said as she allowed her magic to spread over the cloth of his hand where he had touched the pan, numbing the pain as well as repairing and restrengthening the threads.

Her magic was still inexperienced, but she was getting better with the help of the pink floating thing talking her through it.

Soon enough, Creator was wrapping a cloth bandage around his hand.

“It’s probably unnecessary since you don’t bleed, but it’ll help it heal faster.” She explained, finishing the wrapping. “All done!”

And then she kissed the top of his head.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Chaton.”

He felt the warmth flooding through him once more.

“You’re getting better, Marinette! He should be well and healed by tomorrow!”

“Thanks, Tikki.” She said with a smile before dealing with the residual magic still in the cloth she had wiped Chaton’s tears with from earlier.

Really, tomorrow may be too much, because it already felt better. She really was strong.

Chaton barely gave notice though, too lost in thought.

It was the second time he heard that word. It stuck out to him.

* * *

Dealing with leaked magic was never easy, but it was necessary. The last thing they needed was another incident like a magic-induced trash kraken or a spillage of chaotic-based luck.

But Chaton had been pretty quiet afterwards…

She turned back to her desk, seeing the doll still sitting on the desk where she’d left him. He appeared to be looking rather subdued. She hoped he wasn’t still upset or hurt by what happened earlier.

“You okay, Chaton? Is something bothering you?” She asked.

He looked up at her, frowning uncertainly.

_“Mom? What is Mom?”_

She blinked in surprise. “What?”

_“You call ‘Mom’. What is Mom mean?”_

Was that was he was so concerned about?

“Well, a Mom is…” She frowned, thinking. “A…a female parent. They can also be called ‘Mother’ or ‘Mama’ or some other variant depending on the language.”

_“Mama?”_ He tilted his head in curiosity, listening carefully.

“Like—like my Mom! She made me. She’s raised me.” Marinette smiled as she thought of her. “She’s been looking after me as I grow up. She’s taught me things—supported me when I was right and corrected me when I was wrong. She’s looked out for me and helped to protect me. She’s someone I love dearly because she loves me.”

He stared at her, his eyes wide in awe as he seemed to be absorbing everything she said. After a few seconds, he suddenly nodded.

_“Like you to me?”_

That got her attention.

“WHAT?!”

For Chaton, it couldn’t have made more sense.

Creator was talking to him like her Mama had talked to her.

Creator protected him. She made sure he was safe and healed his injuries.

Creator gave him kisses and hugs.

Creator made him happy.

_“Are you…my Mama?”_

And Marinette….

Marinette was at a loss.

Because she wasn’t! After all, she was still a teenager! And Chaton was magic! And she had no idea what she was doing!

“But…I’m not…that isn’t…I can’t be…”

“If you think about it, you kind of are.” Tikki interjected, cutting off her spiraling thoughts. “You made Chaton. You’ve been taking care of him—at least as well as you can given the circumstances. And he is in a lot of ways like an actual child. One you’ve been helping to grow.”

The kwami giggled.

“In a way, you are his mother.”

Marinette looked back and forth between Tikki’s knowing look and Chaton’s hopeful gaze.

“But…is it okay?”

What rules were there about this sort of thing? What made someone a mother anyway? Marinette hadn’t done anything to actually become a mother, so having it suddenly brought up to her felt like it was coming from out of left field.

She knew she was a caretaker for Chaton. But a Mother…?

Except…

When it came down to it, whose call was it, really?

“Do you…want me to be your mother?”

Chaton smiled, bouncing slightly.

_“Give hugs and kisses! Pet me and make me things! Keep me safe and happy! Love you lots! Good Mama! Happy with Mama!”_

Tikki giggled again. “I think it’s been decided, Marinette.”

Marinette rolled her eyes at Tikki but didn’t argue. She looked down at Chaton fondly.

Chaton merely smiled back up at her.

This…certainly changed things.

But then again, Marinette reasoned as she hugged Chaton close to his absolute joy, maybe it was only putting a name to what was already there.


End file.
